VINTAGE THINGIE THURSDAY

Today is Vintage Thingie Thursday! If you would like to participate, visit Confessions of an Apron Queen!

I will share with you my Noritake platter circa 1914.

The trade mark, Morimuras brothers Noritake wreath with M, hand painted, made in Japan.The infamous Rita gave this to me, knowing how much I loved nice collectables.

My cheap digital camera doesn't capture the delicate hand painted flowers with generous gold trim. You listening Santa?

FOR ME?

Thank you to Pleasing Procrastinator for the Brilliant Premio Award! I am humbled by your generosity!

Here's how it works:

1. When received, you may post the Brilliant Premio to your blog.
2. Link to the blogger you received it from.
3. Give it to 7 bloggers.
4. Link to those 7 blogs.
5. Leave those seven bloggers a comment about receiving the Brilliant Premio.

So, here it is!

A. attached or single? Single
B. best friend? In CA
C. cake or pie? Blueberry Pie
D. day of choice? Tuesday
E. essential item? PC (laptop)
F. favorite color? Black
G. gummy bears or worms? Yuck..nothing gummy
H. hometown? Providence born, Huntington Beach raised
I. favorite indulgence? Pedicures & Movies
J. January or July? January
K. kids? Four: girl 42, boy 40, girl 38, girl 37 (omg, that makes me old)
L. life isn't complete without? Family
M. marriage date? March 10
N. number of brothers & sisters? One older brother, three younger sisters
O. oranges or apples? apples - Apples
P. phobias? Things that crawl
Q. quotes? The bible
R. reasons to smile? Family, babies and GOD!
S. season of choice? Fall
T. tag seven peeps! (see below)
U. unknown fact about me? I'm shy
V. vegetable? Carrots
W. worst habits? Too much computer time
X. x-ray or ultrasound? Xray
Y. your favorite food? I love meat and bread
Z. zodiac sign? Virgo

Here are the seven bloggers I award the Brilliant Premio to. Stop by their blogs and say hi:
1. Heartshapedhedges

2. Dorsey Boys

3. Life With Kaishon

4. Life in Mathews

5. Cooper Griffin Scott

6. Barn and Bananas

7. jlo - Almost Famous

PORCH SAGA II

It seems like it was just yesterday when I moved into this loony bin compound. Let's take a little walk down memory lane, shall we?

Do you remember when I posted about my porch, and my neighbor from hell? And how bad I felt when I decided to tell her I didn't want her crap lovely plants on my side? And remember how indignant surprised she was that even though I thought her plants were beautiful, I was allergic to all of them? That was in March.

This is what her side looked like then.........

Fast forward to today.....

Now, it's her side, and God love her if she can cram one more spider plant or creeping charlie on there...but her plants are infringing on my carbon footprint!

There was one thing I didn't document back in March. That was because I had no idea there was a sleeping, giant, PURPLE KILLER PLANT lurking underground! But take my word, this plant sprung up from nowhere and started choking my tiny under-nourished hedge. My hedge is the only friggin thing I want bordering my side of the dinking porch. I want it to grow higher, I want to keep it neatly trimmed and happy.

But this purple stuff, to the delight of my neighbor, flourished! My hedge cried out for help. Yesterday, I mentioned to my neighbor in passing, that I was going to remove the purple stuff, but since I knew she had planted it, I wanted to let her take it out if she wanted to plant it somewhere on the compound else. She thanked me and said she didn't really want it, but I could take it out if I wanted to. I was surprised that she seemed so pleasant. Thank you nice neighbor!

GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE! I love opening my bedroom curtains and blinds in the morning!
Since my bedroom faces the east, I don't pull the blinds up until around ten.
Holy mother of all things sacred!

My neighbor must have worked all night gotten up at the crack of dawn to dig this stuff out!

This is the view from my car.

I guess she's leaving it there until the landscapers come tomorrow. Yeah, it's not their job so I will probably pick it up and take it to the dumpster.

But readers? One thing never changes...My side is still plain and bare. This has to drive my neighbor crazy.

FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY....
then buy Grandma J a new camera

Last night I went to observe my Texas granddaughter's dance lesson.

She's the one who just graduated from middle school, and should be a model.
opposed to the one who just graduated from pre-K. and is a self-made fashion and accessories model.

This was not a routine I was observing, but rather a whole plethora of moves.
You know what I'm talking about...popping,

locking and dropping....chair freeze and baby freeze...
front swipes and corkscrew dips. Brooklyn up-rocking

The two goofs came along. Besides watching the dance moves, they pretty much emptied the vending machines.

We ended up at Jason's Deli, with stuffed baked potatoes and strawberry shortcake to go.

***WARNING...STOP HERE.... if you don't want to see an almost nude waxed male. (I bet everyone looks)

* Big Brother fans....I have a news flash about Jessie..that probably isn't really news to the super sluethes amongst you. Anyway, it seems our Mr. "I can't get enough of loving myself" has been posing nude for quite some time. I don't want to get my little blog rating dropped in the toilet by posting that stuff, but here is a shot I cleaned up with my upscale version of SHARPIE.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE ONE
two years ago today....

Your Mommy and Daddy were at the hospital getting ready to greet you into the world. I was home with your brother Pooper and sister Beauty. We were so excited and anxious to meet you we could hardly stand it.

We went to the mall and bought you toys and clothes and then we went to the food court to have lunch...corn dogs of course.

Then we got the call from Daddy that you were "here"
The hospital is across from the mall, so we were there in a jiffy!
Your brother and sister couldn't wait to go see you and hold you

and so did Grandma J They wanted to walk you around....

We went to see you and hold you every day, until the fourth day when you were coming home.

We wanted the whole world to know you were here!

Pooper kept calling on his cell phone.....

Your brother and sister were too excited to wait inside...

STEP BROTHERS
= SUPER!


I love it when I see a movie that I almost passed up, and end up loving it. Somehow the real critics and I don't see things the same lately. I thought Step Brothers was hysterical and then some. There is a performance towards the end that satisfied a nerdy part of me...but I'm cool like that, and have learned to embrace the nerd in me.


Go see it without reservations, you won't be sorry. My friend Marey reminded me about what a great guy Will Ferrell is off screen:

"Will Ferrell auctioned off an "extra" part in that movie on eBay and the proceeds all went to a cancer scholarship for kids who had/have cancer....so I will see the movie no matter what the review because he donates a lot of time and money to the cause...and also because Daughter #1 gets a scholarsihp from that....and Pooper could too....in about 10 years :)"

Marey's Daughter #1 and my grandson Pooper are both leukemia survivors. They traveled that journey around the same time. So when people like Will Ferrell reach out to cancer kids it means the world to us. So when you laugh your silly head off watching Step Brothers, keep in mind what a big heart that goof ball has!

And because I'm so tickled? I invited the Step Brothers to my aqua aerobics today.

FRIDAY MATINEE...
On Monday

Here we go, it's Monday again, and we're back to the movies. Funny thing, ever since the new Cinemark Theatres opened, the older Hollywood 14 just a few miles away cut back on the selection of movies. I love the new Cinemark Theatre better because they have reclining seats, an ice cream counter, Starbucks and self-serve snack bar! The only problem is, I have a bunch of gift cards for the Hollywood Theatre that JJ gave me for Mother's Day. They don't have the latest movies showing. I've seen them all.

So I'm off to the new Cinemark to see....
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in STEP BROTHERS

I hope I'm not making a mistake, because I hate really goofy movies..once they get to the Three Stooges stage, I lose interest. Come back later and find out what I porked out on I thought about STEP BROTHERS!

PINCH ME HARD...

not that hard

Yesterday I was overwhelmed by the number of visitors I had to my little blog. At first I thought Site Meter had gone whacko, then I assumed that Google short circuited my post about Vince the pitchman at Scam the Sham Wow. I called my people her and giggled my foolish head off.

People started leaving comments explaining what was really happening. Michael K. at dlisted.com linked my post on Sham Wow, asking his readers to come take a peek. Can you imagine anyone being that friggin powerful? I mean holy mother of all things sacred, even though she has zillions of readers, hardly any of them come here when she tells them to. She does tell them to come here, right?

I checked out dlisted.com, and wondered what rock I had been living under. It's H.O.T. check it out. After browsing around, I emailed Michael K. and thanked him for the link, and he emailed me back. Pinch me Baby Jesus! He said nice things about me and I have a feeling there was some magic between us.
What do you think? yeah, dear Santa, I need photoshop bad!

I also want to share just a few of the comments Michael K's. readers left me re: sham wow. I got a kick out of them:

Charlene says: “Who the hell spends twenty dollars a YEAR on paper towels, let alone a month?”

Amber says: “It's like I've been told there is no Santa Claus...lol!”

Anonymous 1 says: “The product is good but be cautious. I received 2 mops I did not order. and what I thought would be $19.95 plus S/H. Was billed $101.75 on my VISA. for 8 cloths. To return for credit you could loose more.”

Mary says: "I also use them on my cats when i give them baths and it works better then a towel. Ehh just my 2 cents. Oh and they do have to be wet to work."

Anonymous 2 says: "I'm impressed that the previous poster Mary gives her cats a bath."

Anonymous 3 says: "That’s kind of messed up that you write this terrible review about a product, clearly influencing people to NOT buy it and you didn't even follow the directions (GET IT WET FIRST!!!). I think you owe the Shamwow guy an apology."

And really? Anonymous 3 is the only nasty person who came over to chew me out.

I was surprised that so many people took the time to read other posts besides the one linked to dlisted. Like Nick....

"GrandmaJ,
I found your site through d-listed this morning and am TOTALLY bored at work. I have to say I just finished reading your WHOLE entire blog! I think you are very clever. I'm 26 BTW and have some of the same thoughts! Keep it up and I'll be checking back regularly-Nick"

I really heart Nick! Bored at work? I would guess he's a Civil Servant like mwa, but working Saturday would narrow that down to prison work or toll booth operator. Any which way, I'm glad Nick and I click is coming back. I mean I don't get many men reading my blog...Jason does, but he is spoken for, and so popular that he's turned down my offer to go on a cruise...and he turned down a cruise offer from her's too.

MY NEW TOY

Remember back on Friday I took my BFF JJ to the vets? And I took his siblings, who are also my grand kidlets, along for support? After taking JJ back home, we headed out to WalMart, because, let's face it...those kids are troopers. They could have stayed home playing wii, or watching Hannah Banana instead of going to the vets to hear JJ scream in pain getting the poop scooped out of him shots and stuff like that.

My grandson wanted a couple zipper binders, and his sister wanted a new digital camera nothing. They both wanted McD's and got it.

I wanted to look at laptops. Not that I could afford one, but the thought of going on my cruise, and then heading down to OC for three weeks without my little blogging fingers flying away left me in a cold sweat. It's either buy a laptop, steal hers when she pulls into port, or cancel the whole trip.
It almost killed me to even ask a sales person for assistance because I'm a bit ticked at the folks at WallyWorld. Last Sunday afternoon I got an email from them saying they were advertising Toshiba Satellite laptops for $399, in store only. Additionally, the email said there were only ten per store, and the ad was for THAT DAY! The last time I saw a deal like that I had advance notice, and still wasn't fast enough to nab one.

So here we are, Friday after the Sunday and the sales associate asks me if I have any preferences. Yeah, I have to have internet! Oh, music would be nice too. She tells me they have a great deal for $399....a Toshiba 15.4 in. blah, blah, Vista, wireless something, DVD R/W+ and other regular stuff. According to the sales associate, this particular store got 100 laptops, and people assumed (like me) that they were gone. So just know, that if you are in the market for a new laptop this one is a steal. Check your local WallyWorld.

I buy it, yes I do! But hears the catch. I don't know a thing about laptops.

Here it is.


And what the heck is with the light show? I'm not sure when it's off, sleeping or hibernating....or what the difference is. My desk top is a Sony Viao, and I never turn it off....tornadoes be damned!



Am I missing something? I could probably read at least one of the three pamphlets that came with it. I'm getting brain freeze just thinking about this . I'm gonna have to purge the third grade. That means out with the multiplication tables, and California State history. Yeah, like we already know that Father Junipero Serra freed the swallows from Capistrano. And now, everyone shows up once a year to moon the Amtrak train watch the swallows come back. What the?

Tomorrow is nominations on Big Brother...stop back to take the poll for who will be the third houseguest evicted.

I will also give you a recap on my crazy Saturday.

*EMERGENCY ALERT*

This may not apply to you.....
please don't send me any more testimonials on the YOU.KNOW.WHAT super absorbent pieces of crap that Vince sells.

My site meter is off the charts. I guess what I really mean is Thank you dlisted.com, because as of 11:30 this morning ....well, I can only check the last hundred hits but quite a few, if not most are for YOU.KNOW WHAT...linked from dlisted.com.

I will say I'm pleased that some people are actually reading more that my humble testimonial, and reading other posts. I must also say that there are some bloggers out there that are a little green around the gills. Hey, I'm trying to be a good consumer by giving testimonials on products that I like and dislike.

So just be forewarned that if you do a testimonial on anything Vince pitches, or Debbie Meyer, or God forbid Billy Mays....watch out. I'm talking to you Green Bag advocate!

*If you came here via dlisted pull up a chair and stay a while. You can join my aqua aerobics here at the compound, meet JJ the wonder dog, or the Women Yearning For Zion. A real bonus is the hilarious Grandma Joy on YouTube.

THE BRAVEST LITTLE TROOPER

Today was the day our little guy JJ, had to have his annual physical and immunizations....SHOTS! I agreed to take him, but I made others go with me for moral support.

When I had my own dog, Charlie, I never held him, or even stayed in the same room with him when he got shots. He had to know it wasn't my idea...at all. His

oldest sister used to scream bloody murder, scratch, run, kick, bite, you name it! To this day she's scared to death. I didn't want JJ to be traumatized and blame me.
I explained to his siblings that he would be getting three shots, a blood test, and a fecal sample would be collected. A what? I explained that they needed some fresh poop to check for worms and stuff. EWWWWWW! Just the realization of exactly how that happens was a sad awakening for the kids.

The nurse took JJ back into another room for the tests. Then she came back with the Doctor. ok, so some of you call her a vet. She looked in his ears and nose.....listened to his heart, checked his teeth and THEN SAID IT WAS TIME FOR THE SHOTS. What? I thought that was done already! We had to leave the room. And yes, JJ cried with each one! They tried to sooth things over with some crappy doggie treats....and JJ turned his nose up! I asked the Dr. if they might have some bacon strips or sausage treats but no!
They gave us JJ's rap sheet.

You can't say Grandma J isn't the bravest, kindest, clueless grandma in the world. Actually, she did great for a fourteen year old.
We left and took JJ home. Where we gave him two nice chewy steak bites.

VINTAGE THINGIE THURSDAY

I was visiting the sistas and they are participating in this "share something old" meme, mimi or yo mama.

So I decided to head on over to Confessions of an Apron Queen and add my name to the list and show something old. No, it's not a body part, but that could work in a pinch.

Since Thursday is almost over, I had to rush...but that doesn't mean I don't have a real gem for you! It's a very very old cast iron scale that weighs in Stones. Here's what it says about stones v. pounds. Like I can really figure that out? I gave up on metric a long time ago, lets not get into stones, rocks, and boulders.


I found this in an antique shop in Julian CA back in 1983. I paid a good price, but I still love it,even though it weighs a ton.

Don't forget to check in tomorrow, afternoon. I have some medical stuff to tell you about a very special family member.